New to Hermies

[Crabby Grammy]

I've never had hermies before but always wanted some. I went on vacation last week and saw them for sale in every beach store I went into. I tried to talk myself out of getting any due to not wanting to encourage the inhumane commercial trade but I felt bad for the poor things and rescued 2 of them. I had to keep them in one of those critter carriers until we got home but I got the biggest size they had. I bought a hidey hut and some water dishes and fed them apples and grapes. They barely put any sand in the container so I got some raw sand from the beach, rinsed it 10 times, sifted out the debris and baked it in the oven for an hour to kill any bacteria or parasites. Then I put them in the bathroom for the warmth and humidity. Once we got home I spent the next week collecting everything I'd need for a 10 gal crabitat. They are in their new home and seem to be doing ok. They are very shy and I worry about PPS. They aren't very active yet but they are eating and drinking. They still have their original shells. No polished or painted ones so that's good. I've spent hours reading everything on this site about how to take care of them. They are very small, about the size of a quarter. Their crabitat has fresh, clean sand with Eco-earth mixed in, fresh and saltwater bowls, a moss pit, extra shells, some things to climb and 2 huts to hide in. I have a temp/hygrometer gauge which is reading around 80 for both. If I can figure out how to upload pics I will. I just wanted to introduce myself as a new member. Thanks

[curlysister]

Welcome to crabbing and to the site!

[Crabby Grammy]

Thank you! My 4 y/o granddaughter lives with us and was with us at the beach when we got them. She's fascinated by them. She just wishes they would move around more lol. I have found this to to be a teachable moment with her. Since they're only really active at night bedtime is our nightly routine with them and I let her help. We mist down the tank, give them fresh water and I let her decide what we put in the food dish. Tonight it was a frozen pea, some strawberry, hard boiled egg and a fresh spinach leaf. Then we tell them nite nite and I let her turn their light off. We read about where they came from (the Caribbean) and look at maps showing how far away that is and look at lots of pictures of hermit crabs. She asked me tonight if I thought they missed their family. I said I'm sure they do and that's why it's so important we take good care of them and give them the best life possible. We're their family now.

[Crabby Grammy]

I don't think I'm posting in the right thread. I'm still trying to figure it out lol. Anyway, here is a pic of my crabitat. I'm brand new to keeping hermit crabs so any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

"20221007_052103.jpg"
https://imageshack.com/user/Sampson1153 ... 052103.jpg

[MotleyMusicana]

Wow, sounds like you're off to a great start as a crab grandma! And nice job teaching your granddaughter good animal husbandry too. Nice work with the moss and the substrate. It's best that they get a source of protein every day (you can give them scraps of whatever meat you eat that's on the safe foods list, like chicken, beef, turkey, etc. egg is also good.) they also need a source of calcium. I find that it's easiest to leave their calcium source in the tank since that's another thing that they need almost every day. I put their calcium source in an empty clam shell and just stick it in there, only really changing it if they tip it over or spill food in it, or finish it. you can get cuttlebone at the petstore in the bird section and break it up and give that to them. crushed up eggshells will also work fine.

Also, a tip: try giving them stuff to climb on. hermit crabs LOVE climbing on stuff, and you'll find that by creating vertical climbing space for them, it'll give them way more places to move around and explore in the tank. and they'll be more fun to watch, cuz they'll have lots of different little perches to choose from. (idk if there's a way for them to get up to the moss pit, but if you put a way for them to get up there, they'll probably love sitting in the moss and burrowing in it and nibbling on it. my crab Professor loves to bury himself in moss) the more stuff you give them to interact with, the more they'll move around. keep in mind tho that they're gonna need some time to adjust so it's normal if they don't move around a whole lot in the first month. I'm sure they'll settle in with time!

Anyway again, GREAT job so far. And welcome to the forum!

[Crabby Grammy]

Thank you for the tips and advice. Another member suggested more climbing space also. You can't see it in the pic, but I have fish net draped over the side of the moss cup for them to climb up. I also have a cholla log on order as I couldn't find any on the shelf that wasn't as big as my arm lol. I've been thinking about what I can do to give them more verticle climbing without taking up too much floor space. I'm thinking since I still have a ton of fish net left I might drape some around the tiki head so they can climb all over that. Then maybe make a fish net corner hammock with a climbing wall to get to it. Use the cholla log like a ladder to get to either the moss cup or the corner hammock.
For food, I went to a local grocery store that has a decent salad bar. For about $3 I got enough fresh fruit and veggies to last all week with a ton of variety. I've tried giving them chicken, tuna and hard boiled egg so far for protein but they don't seem to like it. But they LOVE freeze dried shrimp lol. I'm hoping that once they've had more time to destress and settle in, their appetite and activity level will pick up. Thanks so much for the support and words of encouragement.

[hermitsinnc]

One idea for a climbing structure that shouldn't take up too much floor space:
I have two cholla logs (about 1" diameter and 10" long) angled in a teepee-ish structure over the corner where my water dishes are. I zip-tied them together at the top to make it more sturdy.
If you would like a picture of it, just let me know!